


Three, Two, One

by AlexandrianSight



Series: the devil's got nothing on me [3]
Category: Portal (Video Game)
Genre: Caroline is too gay to function, Cave Cockblocking Johnson, F/F, Fluff, Photography
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-01
Updated: 2016-10-01
Packaged: 2018-08-18 19:34:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8173315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexandrianSight/pseuds/AlexandrianSight
Summary: "The woman looked around disinterestedly and made eye contact with Caroline, whose breath caught in her throat." 
Caroline has spent over a year at Aperture Science Innovators and learns new things every day. However, when one of the female test subjects catches her eye, she realizes that she still has a lot to learn about herself.





	

**Author's Note:**

> If you're not prepared for fluff then you may want to take a moment 
> 
> You have been warned

Twenty female test subjects meant a total of twenty-one women working at Aperture. Caroline did her damnedest to make sure none of them were harmed. Well, by any employees. The tests were another matter entirely. 

One day, she was in her office trying to catch up on paperwork. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a couple of scientists giving one of the test subjects a small tour, guiding her past the offices and gesturing toward them, no doubt saying that over there was the office of  _ the  _ Cave Johnson, as well as his assistant. 

The woman looked around disinterestedly and made eye contact with Caroline, whose breath caught in her throat. They watched each other for a few moments, the woman’s expression unchanging, before a scientist distracted her by gesturing to something else. Caroline continued to watch her as she walked away and, right before she was out of eyesight, the woman looked back. When she saw that Caroline was still watching, she smiled before turning to face forward. 

Caroline watched her with wide eyes, forgetting how to smile for once. When she was out of sight, Caroline felt her face get warm and sat back in her chair, wondering what had just happened. Her stomach felt like it was tied into a knot and she tried to figure out what this feeling was. 

All she knew was that she had to learn who that woman was. 

She quickly rummaged through her files until she found it. She opened the file, wondering how this woman had escaped her notice before. She realized that the picture in the file didn’t really do her justice, didn’t quite capture her beauty. Caroline eyed the camera on her desk, wondering if she’d ever get an opportunity to take a picture of her. 

She examined her file closely. Her name was Alesia. She was Caroline’s age, and she was famous for being the first Japanese-American woman to compete in the Olympics. She’d won gold for the USA at the 1952 Olympics in Tampere, Finland. 

Caroline checked to see what test she was going into. Repulsion gel testing.  _ Not _ as part of the control group. She breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the repulsion gel tests were generally safe. Unless she got covered with the gel, that is. 

She blushed when she suddenly realized that this woman - Alesia - had heard her speak on Mr. Johnson’s recordings. She’d heard her use that stupid, cheery tone. She groaned and put her head down on her desk, feeling like any chance she had was ruined. 

_ Wait. _ She sat up.  _ Chance for what? _

Caroline had given up on romance years ago, thinking it just wasn’t for her. Besides, there was no way she was… 

She shook her head. She was probably just confused. It was true that she’d never had any feelings for any of the boys in her town, but she’d also never had a crush on any of the girls. Well, maybe because they had all been too busy demonizing her for one reason or another. It was a bit hard to like anyone who hated you. 

She pursed her lips in thought before her gaze landed on her camera. Photography was a small hobby of hers, something that she liked to do when she had a chance. A small smile crept onto her face as she stared at the camera, then picked up the picture from the file.

That picture  _ really  _ didn’t do her justice. She was going to have to do something about that.

 

* * *

 

 

Caroline looked up at the sound of someone knocking on her open door. The woman - Alesia - stood there in the test subject jumpsuit, looking like she wasn’t sure if she was in the right place.

“Are you…Caroline?” She asked. 

Caroline smiled graciously as she tried to calm her nerves. “Yes! Alesia, right? Please, come in.”

She sat down and looked around her office, seeming to be only half-interested in her surroundings. Her gaze finally landed on Caroline, sizing her up. “You asked to see me?”

“Yes!” She said over-enthusiastically. She stopped and looked away for a moment before looking back. “As a matter of fact, when you passed by earlier, I realized that the photo of you that we have on record isn’t very accurate.” She gestured toward her camera. “I was wondering if you’d let me retake the photo.”

Alesia stared at her for a moment before leaning back in her chair and letting out a short sigh of relief. “Is that all?” She asked. “I thought I’d broken some sort of weird rule.”

“Oh! No, no.” She quickly reassured her. “No, nothing like that. In fact, the lab boys have reported that you’ve performed excellently in the tests.”

“Heh.” She let out a small laugh. “Lab boys. You sound like your boss. Well, you sound like his recordings.”

“Oh, trust me, those recordings are all bona fide Cave Johnson,” Caroline explained. “If you met him, he’d speak the exact same.”

“Yeah?” Alesia smiled, relaxing a bit more. “And what about you?”

“Me?”

“Yeah, you sound pretty different from the recordings,” She explained. “Not all happy and chipper and ‘Yes sir, Mr. Johnson!’” She sat up and mimicked Caroline’s tone.

Caroline felt herself blush. “Yes, well…” She looked up at her. “Those recordings are just for show. On my end, at least. You should really just disregard them.”

“Oh, so you’re not  _ really _ the backbone of this facility, then,” Alesia said with an arched brow and a smirk.

She stammered. “Well, I, uh…”

“I’m kidding,” She said. “You seem like you work really hard for this company.”

She blushed. “I mean, I  _ do _ get here a half hour before everyone else every day. And I usually stay late.”

“You’re lucky.” Alesia sat back again. “Your boss seems to respect you, even if no one else here seems to.” She thought for a moment. “I mean, they seem to be a bit afraid of you when you’re in their presence, but otherwise the rumors fly.”

Caroline rolled her eyes. “So you’ve heard those, then.”

“Yeah,” She laughed. She leaned forward and narrowed her eyes in concentration. “Is there any truth to them? About you and your boss?”

Caroline’s face fell. So that was it, then. What she’d thought was a normal conversation was just another person trying to find out the “truth” about her and Mr. Johnson. 

“No,” She answered, her tone indifferent. “And they never will be.”

“Really?” Alesia looked suspicious. “Why’s that?”

Caroline repressed a sigh at having to go through this spiel, her brain turning to autopilot. “Mr. Johnson and I are just colleagues who hold each other in high regard. There are no romantic feelings on either side.”

“Oh, okay.” She sat back again, still studying Caroline, who reached into one of her drawers to grab something. “So is there another man in your life?”

“I’m not interested in men-” She stopped, realizing what she’d just said. “…At the moment.” She regained her composure, still rifling through the drawer. “I’m focused on my career right now.”

She sat back up and looked at Alesia, who had a mischievous smirk on her face. “You’re pretty good at that.”

“Good at what?”

“Covering up a faux pas,” She answered, her smirk turning into a grin as Caroline tried to ignore the warmth in her face.

Caroline opened her mouth to say something else but was interrupted by the sound of Mr. Johnson yelling from his office.

“FIRED, STEVENSON! YOU. ARE. FIRED! PACK YOUR SHIT!”

Caroline sighed and stood up, heading over to the employee filing cabinet and searching for Stevenson’s file. She turned back with the file in her hand and watched through her office window as Stevenson trudged away from Mr. Johnson’s office. Alesia turned to watch him too, her eyes wide, then turned back to Caroline, looking confused.

Caroline plopped the file onto her desk and sat back down. She looked up when she realized Alesia was staring at her.

“Does that…happen a lot?” She asked.

“Not too often,” Caroline answered, opening up the file. “He’s usually much louder.”

She looked up at the sound of her boss’s footsteps. “Sir?” She called out, hoping to stop him from walking by.

He stood stiffly in the doorway, looking like he was full to burst with furious energy. “What is it, Caroline?” His tone was a controlled calm.

“Well, I need to know why you fired Stevenson,” She sounded almost bored. “You know. For the paperwork?”

His expression changed from fury to concern. “Don’t-” He cleared his throat before speaking in a low tone. “I’ll handle the paperwork for this one.”

Caroline started in surprise. “Uhm-” She blinked, trying to comprehend what her boss had just said. He  _ hated  _ paperwork. “Excuse me?”

“Yeah, just-” He waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it.” He quickly left before she could ask anything else.

“Wh- Sir!” She called after him. She let out an exasperated sigh and got up, gathering up the contents of Stevenson’s file. “I’m sorry, but I have to take care of this.” She rushed to try to catch up with her boss, leaving a confused Alesia sitting in her office. 

 

After about a half hour of Mr. Johnson refusing to give her any information, Caroline returned to her office more confused than ever. Mr. Johnson didn’t keep secrets. Well, he  _ did _ keep secrets, but not from her. 

She plopped down in her chair with a sigh, staring at the now-empty chair across from her desk. She secretly cursed her boss for deciding to pick  _ today _ to act weirder than normal. 

Caroline shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. She was already behind on paperwork for today. Plus, she had no business talking to Alesia for as long as she had, much less getting mad at her boss for cutting it short. 

As she got back to work, though, she couldn’t help but glance up at the chair every now and then. 

 

* * *

 

 

The next day, Caroline arrived at her usual time: thirty minutes earlier than everyone else. 

The light in the entryway was unusually blinding this morning, and she immediately closed her door and twisted the blinds closed in her office and made a mental note to speak with maintenance once they got here. 

She started making coffee, wanting to make sure there was enough for the day. She jumped at the sound of a knock on her door. She turned to see Alesia standing in the doorway. She was wearing the jumpsuit again, but her hair was down now instead of in a ponytail, framing her face nicely.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” She closed the door behind her and tucked her hair behind her ear.

“Oh, no,” Caroline blushed. “I’m just not used to anyone else being here this early.”

“Oh. Well…” She trailed off, looking almost as awkward as Caroline felt. “You ran off yesterday and…I realized that you never took that picture of me.”

“Oh!” Caroline’s eyes widened. “Right.” She put down the coffee beans and picked up her camera, then looked around her office for a blank wall. 

“Uh, you can stand in that corner right there.” She pointed to a corner near one of the windows. There was a small niche that wasn’t taken up by counter space or a filing cabinet.

Alesia moved to stand in the corner and Caroline stood a few feet in front of her, fiddling with the camera. 

“Okay,” She held up the camera, looking through the viewfinder. 

“Should I smile or anything?”

“Uh, no, you don’t need to do anything,” Caroline explained, lowering the camera a bit. “Think of it as…like…a mugshot. But less upsetting. Oh! Passport photo, duh. You have a passport, of course. The Olympics.” 

“Right.” She looked slightly entertained by Caroline’s ramble.

“Right. So…I’m going to take a few photos so that there are options for the best one, okay?” Caroline asked.

“Sounds good to me.”

“Okay…” She held up the camera again. “Three, two, one.” 

There was a loud click as the camera took the picture. 

“That was good!” Caroline said. She studied Alesia for a moment. “Try…untucking your hair from your ear.”

She did as told, but then a piece of hair stuck out in a curve.

Caroline lowered the camera again. “Oh, you’ve got-” she started to gesture towards her own head as a mirror, but stopped. “Here.” She stepped closer and reached out to fix her hair.

She tried not to think about how close she was as she tried to smooth down the hair with her hand. When that didn’t work, she brushed through it with her fingers. She could feel Alesia looking at her, and her face suddenly felt hot.

She quickly stepped back again. She cleared her throat. “That’s better.” She held up the camera again. “Three, two, one.”  _ Click _ . She fiddled with the camera again, then took a tiny sidestep. “Last one. Three, two, one.”  _ Click. _

“Aaand you’re done!” Caroline said. 

“Thanks,” Alesia said, relaxing a bit. “You’re pretty good at that. Well, you seem to be. Can’t say for sure until the pictures are developed.”

Caroline felt herself blush again, then internally groaned at herself. When was the last time she blushed this much? The answer was never.

She smiled. “Well, it’s more of a fun hobby. I don’t try to be artistic or anything. Taking pictures is…nice.” She looked down at the camera in her hands, smiling fondly. “Taking a photo of a person or a place. Or a memory.”

She looked up to see Alesia smiling. “That’s sweet.” She looked down at the camera and then back up at Caroline. “I bet you’re not usually the subject of any pictures, though.”

“Oh, no, I’m usually behind the camera.” She nodded. “It’s fine, though. I don’t really need pictures of myself.”

“Of course you do,” Alesia argued. “Everyone deserves to have pictures of themselves, especially someone as pretty as you.”

Caroline blushed again and stammered. She’d heard similar compliments from countless men, but somehow it sounded different coming from her. It sounded more sincere.

“Here,” Alesia reached out and took the camera. “Let me take your picture. Go on,” She motioned towards the wall she had just stood in front of. Caroline obeyed without protest.

Alesia stood a few feet from her and held up the camera. “Okay, now this isn’t for some file or anything, so you can smile.”

Caroline ran a hand through her hair and smiled like she normally did.

She lowered the camera. “No…No, that looks too fake.”

“It is fake.”

She laughed. “You have to  _ really _ smile. Imagine someone just told you a joke. Or complimented you.”

“Like what?”

Alesia looked away in thought. “Uh…” She looked at Caroline again. “You…” Her tone turned serious. “Are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.”

Caroline’s breath hitched in her throat. Alesia quickly raised the camera and took a picture. She lowered it again as Caroline blushed. 

“Well, that wasn’t a smile, but it was definitely an interesting expression.”

Caroline felt her face get hot again and she pursed her lips, looking away.

_ Click _ .

Caroline looked up in surprise to see Alesia lowering the camera again. 

“Sorry, but that was a really good expression,” She apologized. “You really could be a model. Not if you keep blushing like that, though.”

Caroline glared at her. “Well, maybe if you’d stop complimenting me-”

She laughed again. “I thought compliments were a  _ good _ thing!”  

Caroline couldn’t help but laugh, too. Alesia quickly raised the camera again just in time to take a picture.

“Now  _ that’s _ what I’m talking about!” She took a step closer. “Now…cross your arms and try to look all business-y.”

Caroline rolled her eyes with a small smile, then did as told.

“Great. Hold that pose. Three, two, one.”  _ Click. _ She lowered the camera and studied her. “Now…raise your chin a bit and look up. Look to the side a bit. No, other side. Great. Stay like that.” She stepped a bit closer again. “Three, two, one.”  _ Click. _

Caroline realized that she was only about a foot away from her. She quickly tried to push the thought out of her mind, not wanting to blush again.

Alesia stepped to the side a bit and moved just a bit closer. “I want to get your profile. You don’t need to smile. Lift your chin a bit and look forward. That’s it. Three, two, one.”  _ Click. _

She stepped back in front of Caroline and moved closer so that she was inches from her face. She raised the camera with no instruction this time, which was good because Caroline was having trouble remembering how to breathe, much less follow instructions. Her voice was softer now. “Three, two, one.”  _ Click. _

She lowered the camera again, glancing down at Caroline’s lips before looking back up at her eyes. She leaned in close, her voice barely a murmur. “Three, two, one.”

Her lips were soft and warm. The two stood there for a moment, not moving until Caroline suddenly remembered how to breathe. She took a breath and kissed her back, more urgently this time. She reached up and cupped the side of Alesia’s face. She responded by wrapping her arms around Caroline’s waist and pulling her closer. 

The feeling was indescribable. She’d kissed a few boys back in high school, but this…This was completely different. She understood now why people enjoyed this so much.

Alesia broke away just a bit to kiss her jaw, then moved down to her neck. Caroline gasped and let out a shaky sigh. 

She was distracted by the sound of an elevator ding at the end of the hallway.  _ Oh. _

“Oh, shi-” She pulled away. “Mr. Johnson’s here,” Her voice was shaky since she was trying to catch her breath.

“Oh,” Alesia looked toward the window, even though the blinds were closed. She turned back to Caroline. “Oh! Oh my God,” She covered her mouth. “I left a mark on your neck.”

Caroline’s eyes widened and her hand shot to her neck. “Where?!”

“Right here,” She reached out and guided Caroline’s hand to where it was.

She breathed a sigh of relief, then moved around to open one of her desk drawers. “I can cover that up,” She said as she took out a red neckerchief. She swiftly tied it around her neck, covering up the mark. 

“I should- I should go,” Alesia said, quickly moving towards the door.

“Wait,” Caroline grabbed her wrist. “We should meet up somewhere. Outside of here.”

She smiled. “How about that Italian place on Fifth Street? Saturday at eight.”

Caroline let go of her and smiled back. “It’s a date.”

Alesia grinned and leaned in, kissing her on the cheek. She quickly pulled away and left, leaving the door open. Caroline blushed again as her hand went to her cheek.

 

Cave Johnson was always the second person on the floor, right after Caroline. Usually, about ten minutes after he arrived, the floodgates opened and every other employee showed up for the work day.

He stepped off the elevator and was immediately distracted by the fact that his shoe had come untied. He quickly put his stuff down and tied it, wondering how that had happened. 

He grabbed his stuff and stood back up, but hesitated, staring down the large hallway in the direction of his office. He wasn’t sure how to face Caroline today. She was a persistent woman, and he knew he couldn’t keep refusing to tell her  _ why _ he’d fired Stevenson. 

He sighed. She was probably ready to bombard him with questions as soon as he reached his office. She’d get the truth out of him eventually, maybe he should just go ahead and tell her now.

He ultimately decided to play it by ear and started walking again. As he walked, though, he saw a young test subject come out from where the hallway branched off to his and Caroline’s offices. She walked quickly, not noticing him until he was right near her. 

She looked up, then averted her gaze and gave a quick nod. “Mr. Johnson.”

He stopped and silently nodded back, not that it mattered, since she kept walking and didn’t see it. He turned and watched her for a bit until she got in the elevator. 

Confused, he turned back towards the offices and kept walking. He reached Caroline’s office and poked his head in. 

She was sitting at her desk with a tinge of pink in her cheeks and a small smile on her face. She idly readjusted her neckerchief as she studied the paperwork on her desk. She looked up, noticed him, and smiled. 

“Good morning, Mr. Johnson!” She said cheerfully. She sounded more cheerful than she should be, since just yesterday she was mad at him. It was genuine cheer, too. He knew the difference in sound by now. 

His brow furrowed and he studied her for a moment before turning back to look in the direction of the elevator, trying to figure out this puzzle. 

“Is something wrong, sir?”

He turned back to look at her, then shook his head. “Uh, no, nothing. I think I just need some coffee.”

She gasped. “Oh my gosh, I forgot to make it!” She jumped out of her chair and picked up the bag of coffee grounds again. “I’m so sorry, sir.”

“Oh, don’t worry, there’s no rush,” His brow was furrowed again. Caroline was not the forgetful type. She’d only forgotten coffee one other time and that was when, well… 

He pushed the thought out of his mind. There was no way that had happened again. She was the only one in the building. Well, besides that test subject.

_ Wait. _ He looked back thoughtfully in the direction of the elevator again, then turned back at the sound of Caroline humming. He pinched the bridge of his nose, figuring it out.

He looked up at her again. “Caroline?”

“Yes, sir?” She turned to face him.

He took a breath, wondering what to say. After a moment, he sighed. “Be careful.”

She looked confused. “I don’t-”

“You know what I mean.”

Her face flushed a deep red and she looked down at the floor. She glanced back up “I-”

He held up a hand, stopping her. “You don’t have to explain anything. Personally, I don’t see why anyone should give a damn what someone does and who they do it with. Unfortunately, though, that’s not how things work.”

“I know.”

He sighed again and his tone softened significantly. “Promise me you’ll be careful. I’d hate for you to get hurt.”

She looked away again. “Yes, sir.”

“Good,” He said. “Now,” he returned to his usual barking tone. “Enough of that. Let’s get the day started. We’ve got a business to run.”

She took a breath. “Yes sir, Mr. Johnson,” She said as he turned and left. Once he was gone, she sighed and tugged at her neckerchief. He was right, of course. She was going to have to be careful.

He popped his head back in. “By the way, do you know why the lights are so damn bright out here?”

“Oh! Right,” She quickly finished setting up the coffee maker. “I need to go speak to maintenance about that.” She brushed off her hands and walked past him, her heels clicking as she headed down to the elevator. The heartbeat of Aperture.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Shoutout to [ hauntedpanels ](http://archiveofourown.org/users/hauntedpanels/pseuds/hauntedpanels) for reading through this and asking the real questions such as: "The rumor come out: does caroline is gay?" As well as coming up with the title
> 
> Comments are love!
> 
> Become a [ beta ](mailto:%20schneeprinzessin24@gmail.com)


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